AtlasIslamica

Battle site of Hz. Dawud عليه اسلام and Jalut

Known as Valley of Elah in the Old Testaments, this valley is where the historic duel happened between the giant Hz. Dawud عليه اسلام & Jalut (Biblical Goliath)

Judean Foothills, Israel occupied Palestine

Coordinates: 31.680600, 34.989100

Quran States

So they defeated them by permission of Allah, and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him the kingship and wisdom [i.e., prophethood] and taught him from that which He willed. And if it were not for Allah checking [some] people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted, but Allah is the possessor of bounty for the worlds.

Chapter 2, Verse no.251

The Valley

The Valley of Elah or Ella Valley is a long, shallow valley in Israel Occupied Palestine and the West Bank best known as the place described in the Old Testament where the Israelites were encamped when Hz. Dawud عليه اسلام fought Jalut (Goliath) (1 Samuel 17:2, 19).

Jalut in Islam

Jalut appears in chapter 2 of the Quran (2: 247–252), in the narrative of David and Saul’s battle against the Philistines.[23] Called Jalut in Arabic (جالوت), Goliath’s mention in the Quran is concise, although it remains a parallel to the account in the Hebrew Bible.

Islamic scholars have tried to trace Jalut’s origins, most commonly with the Amalekites.

Muslim tradition sees the battle with the jalut as a prefiguration of Hz. Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ battle of Badr, and sees Jalut as parallel to the enemies that Hz. Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ faced.

Fight between Hz. Dawud عليه اسلام and Goliath Fight

The king dressed Hz. Dawud عليه اسلام in battle armor and handed him a sword, but Hz. Dawud عليه اسلام was not used to wearing battle dress.

He felt uncomfortable in it, and it obstructed his movements. He removed the armor, then collected a few pebbles and filled his leather pouch with them.

He slung it over his shoulder next to his sling. With his wooden staff in hand, he began to walk towards the enemy. Talut (Biblical Saul) was worried and asked him how on earth, with a sling and a couple of stones, was he going to defend himself against the giant?

Hz. Dawud عليه اسلام replied: “Allah Who protected me from the claws of the bear and the fangs of the lion will certainly protect me from this brute!”

When Jalut set eyes on the lean young man who looked like a boy, he laughed loudly and roared: “Are you out to play war with one of your playmates, or are you tired of your life? I will simply cut off your head with one swipe of my sword!”

Hz. Dawud عليه اسلام shouted back: “You may have armor, shield, and sword, but I face you in the name of Allah, the Lord of the Universe, Whose laws you have mocked.

Today you will see that it is not the sword that kills but the will and power of Allah!”

So saying, he took his sling and placed in it a pebble from his pouch. He swung and aimed it at Jalut.

The pebble shot from the whirling sling with the speed of an arrow and hit Goliath’s head with great force. Blood gushed out, and Goliath thumped to the ground, lifeless, before he had a chance to draw his sword.

When the rest of his men saw their mighty hero slain, they took to their heels. The Israelites followed in hot pursuit, taking revenge for their years of suffering at the hands of their enemy, killing every soldier they could lay hands on.

Hz. Dawud عليه اسلام became a hero overnight. Talut kept his word and married his daughter Bibi Miqel رضي الله عنها (Michal) to the young warrior and took him under his wing as one of his chief advisers.

Note: Although the Battle is described in both Quran and Bible, the information regarding the battlesite is taken from Jewish sources.